A growing number of organizations worldwide recognize the value in building a coaching culture and giving leaders an opportunity to lead with authenticity by developing and using coaching skills in their leadership.
Leaders that develop coaching skills empower others to develop themselves as leaders, encourage independent problem-solving, recognize opportunities and ultimately improve performance. They also see increasingly higher levels of employee engagement, motivation and efficiency.
Fatima Abou Abbas, an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from Kuwait, shares that leading a team will always be like a puzzle solving where you need to:
• Have a clear end picture
• Mix and match
• Have an organized strategy to start with
• It will be more meaningful if is done by team
• Have a lot of different ways to reach the end picture
• The most important thing is to have fun during the process
Leadership by all means is not an easy thing however you need to deal with it in an authentic way and to be self-aware.
Between yesterday and today leadership concept have changed dramatically and one of the main tools that enhance the leadership in many different industries is coaching.
How coaching skills can make a difference and support you to be a better leader?
Utilizing coaching within a leadership role allows leaders to be more effective in inspiring their teams and connecting with them, both as a whole and as individuals, on a deeper level. It also helps developing trust and better synergy among team members and creating an emotionally balanced work environment.
To be an effective leader/coach, not only do you need to learn how to communicate well and help others to get results, you need to guide, encourage and inspire others to reach their full potential. A great leader/coach is likely to have the following talents or qualities: listening skills; ability to provide constructive feedback; curiosity; empathy; asking powerful, open questions; integrity; collaborative. Some of these characteristics are inherent, others can be learned.
Fatima adds that being result oriented is an essential factor, where you need to achieve a specific goal with needful resources in a right time frame, all of them are extremely important factors to be successful leader. However, coaching helps you to see and practice them from different angles. It helps you to be people oriented which will improve your way of communicating to achieve better results with the best environment”
With coaching, you as a leader and your work partners will define goals, assess the process, leave room for learning experience and always share feedback.
Remember: No need to lead people if you can coach them to lead/challenge the situations.
ICF has launched an online platform offering thought-led articles on coaching and leadership at icf-events.org/articles/. Feel free to read Fatima’s full article there and discover very simple steps to improve your leadership through coaching.
Want to know more about success stories of leadership coaching and coaching in organizations in the Middle East?
Sign up for the ICF Middle East Prism Award free online ceremony on 29th September at 7.30 pm Dubai time. https://www.icf-events.org/article/official-dates-announced-for-5th-icf-middle-east-prism-award-2021-coaching-in-organizations-myth-or-reality/
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the world’s largest organization leading the global advancement of the coaching profession and fostering coaching’s role as an integral part of a thriving society. Founded in 1995, its 40,000-plus members located in more than 145 countries and territories work toward common goals of enhancing awareness of coaching and upholding the integrity of the profession through lifelong learning and upholding the highest ethical standards. Through the work of its six unique family organizations, ICF empowers professional coaches, coaching clients, organizations, communities and the world through coaching.
Visit coachingfederation.org for more information.
